Stewardship

Stewardship begins with thankfulness. We thank God for all the gifts He has given to us: our lives, our loved ones, all that we have and all that we are. In the Small Catechism, Dr. Luther sums up God’s gifts and care for us:

The First Article: Creation

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true.

How would we respond if asked to name some specific areas of our lives for which we are truly grateful? We express our gratitude to God in words and deeds, and we share a portion of our material and spiritual blessings with our Church and with the world. We do this through Time, Talent, and Treasure. God, bless you for your commitment!

Time

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Luke 11:9 ESV)

Jesus often parted company with his followers to pray. In prayer, Jesus received His identity as well as the courage to carry out His Father’s will. As such, stewardship should be rooted in giving time to a lead a faith-filled, prayerful life. Only in this way are we prepared to make an offering of our whole selves to God. Please consider committing to one or more of the following opportunities. This commitment can be made by an individual or the whole family unit.

- Attend Divine Service at every opportunity.
- Invite a friend or acquaintance to Service.
- Pray together with your family.
- Discuss the faith with your family.
- Read the Bible for one hour each week.
- Spend 15 minutes a day in personal prayer or devotion.
- Go to midweek services during Advent and Lent.
- Attend Bible Study/Adult Education.

Talent

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV)

God created each of us beautifully different, with individual gifts for building up His Kingdom. In Baptism, God called us to use these gifts within our vocations: the home, the workplace, the congregation, and the community. But what are our distinctive gifts and talents? Perhaps we can better identify them by (1) recalling some successful project, (2) reflecting on what we are good at doing, and (3) remembering times when others have recognized talents in us. Think about the different needs of our congregation, focusing on what talents we have and will commit to sharing with our parish. If there is a ministry that you might be interested in, contact the church office for more information or to volunteer.

Treasure

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: (1 Peter 4:10 ESV)

In the Old Testament, the Jewish people felt called by God to tithe 10% of the first fruits of their labor to support worship and the needs of the poor. The early Christians lived out this teaching by sharing their treasure with the Church and the poor. Although not possible for all, a tithe is our goal. On the chart on below, we can determine our level of sacrificial giving to the congregation, review our income and responsibilities, and consider what we can commit for the next year. Taking a step in grateful giving helps us to know that God comes first in our lives, to distinguish between our wants and our needs, and to receive a sense of inner peace regarding our contributions. Also, remember you can set up online giving from our website.

Online Giving

A new way to give to Messiah Lutheran Church.

Give online through your checking or savings account.
This is an extention of Thrivent's Simply Giving auto-pay program with electronic funds transfer.

Ways to use:
1. Set up a weekly offering schedule that will be automatically withdrawn from your account.
2. Make a one-time offering if you miss church.
3. Give a special offering such as to the endowment fund, evangelism or missions.
4. A way for online website viewers to give.

Can we accept credit and debit cards via our website?
Not at this time. Checking and savings account auto-withdraw only.

Do donors get a receipt?
A confirmation page appears after a payment is submitted. An individual donor can print the confirmation page for proof of his or her donation. Also, an email confirmation can be sent if a donor provides a valid email address.

Can the Website Payment solution be used for both one-time and recurring transactions?
Yes. In addition to accepting one-time gifts and payments, you can offer a variety of recurring donation and payment frequencies.

What type of one-time, fixed-dollar transactions can we accept?
In addition to one-time gifts for specific funds, website payments can also be used for camps, workshops, classes, AIC DVDs or just about any other event or service.

Is Online Giving Secure?
Yes. The online giving web page is administered by Vanco Services.
Vanco Services is a PCI (Payment Card Industry) Level 1 Compliant Service Provider which means your transactions are handled in accordance with the most rigorous security standards.